The Harp
by Thanatos Reincarnate
Summary: Do you know your heroes' pasts as well as you think you do? No... you don't. This is how they really came to be what they are today.


**_DISCLAIMER: I DONUT OWN ANYTHING._**

**Chapter One: Bruce Banner**

The Harp is a strange instrument physically. It looks to be the same as a regular harp: big, bulky, but beautiful and intricate. This one is smaller, more like its small counterpart, the lyre. It was golden in color, gleaming and with no blemishes. The thin strings were silver; they looked fragile, but were seemingly unbreakable. The designs start at the bottom, showing a raging battle underneath the blazing hot sun and clear sky.

The Harp is literally THE Harp, as it has a story fit for legends. Actually, that is what this is: a legend. It all started with a god, but that is long ago, millennia ago. The Greek sun god, Apollo, was scorned by a lover, Cassandra, and cursed her and her harp. The harp shrunk into the size of a lyre, it became indestructible, and it became cursed. Whoever plays it gets a power from the Harp, no matter how small like a simple skill. The small gift is also packaged with horrible fortune or a twist in the power. Once Cassandra met her demise, Apollo trusted me, his daughter, to keep the Harp, to spread the wretched power to fill his debt with Nemesis and restore balance. He made me the immortal guardian of the Harp, so if I die, the Harp comes with me.

I have met many who have stolen the Harp from me and played it, compelled by the unimaginable pull of the beauty. They or their family and close friends have ended in complete and utter despair and misery, pain even. There are many in history that have met an unfortunate fate and have encountered the Harp. They all have created their own backstory to hide their shame in having their life destroyed by a simple harp. Over time, there have been less and less people who seek out the Harp for its powers. There have been few indeed. Mr. Banner was one of those rare few to look for the ancient relic.

I have a horrible habit of leaving the Harp to go look for something to eat, so I moved into the middle of the Amazon, which was in my pattern of hideouts. I should have hidden the Harp before I left, just in case a man similar to Mr. Banner intelligence-wise comes along.

Flashes of the Harp came to my mind, a puny little thing of a man standing behind it. He was transfixed by the Harp. The instrument resting on a small rock by a clear stream gleamed in the midday sun. I started to run back to the Harp, forgetting my hunt for deer. _Mr. Bruce Banner, _my mind supplied me with. My strong gift of foresight hopefully will give me time to save this man. I see him getting closer and closer, I am not going to get there in time at this rate. I pick it up a few notches, running as fast as I can. The trees blurred into greens and browns and the sun beat down on my golden hair.

Mr. Banner is now a few feet away from the Harp, and I am so close to being there, I can _feel_ its presence. Mr. Banner has taken off the pack that he was strapped to and scooched closer to my instrument. No! I was so close! A haunting melody started to play, echoing around the forest. The sun got noticeably hotter. The sounds of the wind, the animals, nature itself, all fell frozen in time to make way for the Harp's beautiful sounds.

I burst into the clearing as Mr. Banner finished the song. He opened his eyes, meeting my golden with his brown. He stood up quickly, confusion on his face and slight panic as he held the Harp, clutching it to his chest.

"Mr. Banner, get away from the Harp. Put it down where you are and back away!" I said warningly, a sharp edge to my voice. He took a step back as I spoke.

"Wh- why? How did I know that song?" Mr. Banner asked me, completely ignoring my demands. I pulled out my bow and strung an arrow I took a careful aim for his eye, his glasses making a perfect target. I have no qualms with killing people if I have to, this is why I was put in charge of the Harp.

"Back. Away. Bruce Banner… Now." I snarled, making the distance between us a few steps shorter. The scrawny man dropped the string instrument onto the ground, being careless in his haste to do as I say. That is when things started to get weird.

His eyes flashed a bright green, a sharp contrast to his dark brown. Then he fell to his knees, shoving the Harp away from him as he collapsed, bringing it closer to me. He then began the convulsions. I knew that this was the doing of the Harp but I wanted to stay, to see what was happening to him. A green tint started to grow stronger over his skin. The bones in his back noticeably cracked as they obviously moved beneath his now mint colored skin. He screamed in pain and fell over backwards from his previously hunched position. His back arched and that is when I noticed the little muscle he had expand rapidly, similar to what would happen if steroids worked immediately.

I lunged forward, grabbing the small harp in my hands and leaped back a few meters, away from the flailing Mr. Banner. His skin was noticeably greener, now the color of a lime. His shirt grew to be tight before it exploded along with his hiking boots. After this his screams turned to roars and the trees shook with the sound. I had to cover my ears with the intense volume the previously slip of a man had created. When this roar ended I could hear animals running, the birds cawing, and the nymphs hidden in the shadows run to their respectful trees, plants, rocks, and streams.

The convulsions had stopped, leaving a gasping green giant. I involuntarily took a slow step back, planting my foot among a clump of dry underbrush. The beast sat up quickly, startling me. I took a few steps back very slowly before sprinting away from the hulking giant. I ran through the woods, throwing the Harp to a nymph as she looked worriedly at me. I saw that she caught it and pulled it into her tree with her. A roar shook the trees yet again, sending up more alarm calls from the birds. The heavy thumping caused miniature earthquakes as the beast's giant feet pounded into the ground as he gave chase to me. I knew I had distracted him from the Harp if anything.

I could feel my father's panic as he was helpless to save me from dying at this monster's hand. The sun grew hotter still. I was running out of time as I saw the monster grab a small figure in my head. I had foreseen my own demise. Maybe I could still change it. After all, I still had a little time left. I couldn't though, as I had slowed down vastly when I had my vision. The monster, once a small, nervous fickle of a man, caught me, wrapping his fingers around my throat.

He lifted me into the air, cutting off my circulation. I knew I was going to die, so did my father as this green giant was sweating bullets, but now it looked like he was sweating the guns, too, not just the bullets. He brought me closer to his face and roared, blowing my braided hair back. I looked into his eyes as his smelly breath blew in my face.

I saw a vision of the original form of Mr. Banner crouching by my dead body. His eyes were wide and tears started to pool. He was drowning in guilt. I saw that every time he saw a teenager that looked like me he would get away as fast as he could, still haunted by the image of his murder. He had become a superhero, joining a team of six. He had explained his condition as being exposed to gamma radiation. So that was how he got away with the guilt; he didn't tell anyone so they couldn't terrorize him with bringing me up.

The vision disappeared and I saw the monster. I smirked smugly and I gasped out my final words.

"Live… with my… memory. Never… forget the one… you killed… I will invade… your every thought… dream… should you… forget."

My vision faded and I couldn't breathe anymore. I clawed at his hand until I couldn't. The next thing I saw was an old friend of mine. Thanatos smiled at me, fluttering his dark wings as he accompanied me to the dark pit where I would eventually reform, my body vanishing once I enter.

I made sure of one thing with my personal curse upon the scientist. Mr. Banner will _never_ forget me.


End file.
